Short-term treatment (7–14 days) with oral prednisone is used for many acute inflammatory and allergic conditions.
Steroids should ideally only be used for a short period of time to get over a flare-up or while long term treatments, such as azathioprine, become established. If you are starting a course of steroids, then you should complete the full reducing course, which is generally prescribed for eight weeks.
You may only need a short course of prednisolone for up to 1 week. You may need to take it for longer, even for many years or the rest of your life.
Steroid use for over two weeks can decrease the ability of your body to respond to physical stress. A higher dose of steroid may be needed at times of major stress, such as surgery or very extensive dental work or serious infection.
A person should never need a prednisone detox as long as they communicate their needs with their doctor. Forgetting to take prednisone for a day or two will not trigger withdrawal symptoms, but if a person waits any longer they might cause withdrawal symptoms to develop.
What are the possible side effects of steroids?Increased appetite.Weight gain.Changes in mood.Muscle weakness.Blurred vision.Increased growth of body hair.Easy bruising.Lower resistance to infection.More items...•
Typically, there are no withdrawal symptoms with a 5-day moderately high dose burst of steroids. Thus, steroid use cannot be stopped abruptly. Tapering the drug gives the adrenal glands time to return to their normal patterns of secretion.
Official answer. There is no set limit on how long you can safely take prednisone.
Prednisone has long-lasting effects and is usually prescribed once daily. Occasionally, people on higher dosages are instructed to take it twice a day for short periods of time before dropping down to just a single dose.
Common side effects of daily low dose prednisone include elevated blood pressure, swelling, changes in blood sugar, increased appetite, weight gain, insomnia, osteoporosis (thinning of bones), irregular menstrual periods, and mood changes.
Corticosteroid Side Effects Short-term use can cause weight gain, puffy face, nausea, mood swings, and trouble sleeping. You might also get thinner skin, acne, unusual hair growth, and spikes in blood sugar and blood pressure.
Oral: 10 to 60 mg/day given in a single daily dose or in 2 to 4 divided doses; Low dose: 2.5 to 10 mg/day; High dose: 1 to 1.5 mg/kg/day (usually not to exceed 80 to 100 mg/day).